Following behind Wang Tiechui, Ye Chen truly witnessed the full scope of the Black Marsh Mine.
It wasn't an orderly mining area as he had imagined, but more like a gaping wound torn violently into the earth. A colossal pit, over a hundred meters in diameter, lay open like the maw of a monstrous beast. The pit walls were nearly vertical slopes, covered with crude footholds and rough vine ropes carved by hand. Countless ragged, listless people, like ants, crawled up and down these perilous paths.
The depths of the pit were dark and lightless, with only scattered torches flickering, illuminating the crisscrossing entrances of tunnels below, like diverging paths to hell. The air was thick with the smell of earth, sweat, and a deeper, cold scent of mixed metal and ore.
"Keep up with me, it's closer this way down," Wang Tiechui, familiar with the terrain, found a less crowded steep slope. He grabbed a thick vine and nimbly slid down. His huge body appeared exceptionally agile at this moment.
Ye Chen took a deep breath, mobilizing the residual medicinal power of the Spirit-Infused Mushroom within him, feeling the strength growing in his muscles. He also imitated Wang Tiechui, grabbing a vine and carefully descending. Thanks to the initial control over his body from the Basic Body Tempering Art, his movements were clumsy but steady.
Upon reaching the bottom of the pit, the light grew dimmer, and the temperature dropped considerably, a cold, damp aura washing over him. Scattered rubble and discarded mining picks were visible everywhere. Some overseers, holding whips, patrolled the main passages with sharp, hawk-like eyes, occasionally issuing harsh shouts.
"This way," Wang Tiechui lowered his voice and led Ye Chen into a relatively secluded branch tunnel. The tunnel was narrow, only wide enough for one person to pass. The rock walls were embedded with some moss emitting a faint fluorescence, which served as the primary light source within the pit.
"Where those bright stones are scarce, you usually find 'Black Iron Ore.' It's hard to mine, but it's heavy, and one piece can be worth two or three of others," Wang Tiechui explained, sharing his hard-won experience without reservation as they walked. "It's just that the rock walls are exceptionally hard; most people can't dig it."
After walking for about one incense stick's worth of time, the tunnel reached its end. Before them was a rock wall of dark color and seemingly exceptionally hard texture.
"This is it," Wang Tiechui took his mining pick, noticeably larger than others, from his back. He gave Ye Chen a simple, honest smile. "You use this." He pointed to a rusty, discarded mining pick in the corner, its head slightly askew.
Ye Chen didn't complain. He picked up the broken mining pick; it felt heavy and cold in his hand.
"Watch me!" Wang Tiechui spat in his palm, rubbed his hands together, and then swung his arm with all his might. The massive mining pick whistled through the air and smashed fiercely against the rock wall!
"Clang!"
A dull, heavy sound echoed, and sparks flew. The hard rock wall only chipped off a small fragment.
Wang Tiechui, however, didn't stop. Like a tireless machine, he struck the same spot again and again with his pick, steadily and powerfully. His movements were unpretentious but possessed a unique rhythm, as if he were born to split mountains and cleave rocks.
Observing Wang Tiechui mining, Ye Chen gained some understanding of his striking technique. Proficiency in Basic Body Tempering Art +2.
The system's prompt made Ye Chen's heart stir. He didn't act immediately but observed Wang Tiechui's movements more intently, especially the entire process of his core muscles engaging and power transferring from his heels to his arms. Simultaneously, he carefully examined the rock wall's structure, looking for potential weak points.
Conducting detailed observation of the rock layer structure, Mineral Identification proficiency +1.
After watching for about half an hour, Ye Chen gained a more direct understanding of Wang Tiechui's terrifying brute strength and had some vague ideas about how to apply his own Basic Body Tempering Art to mining.
He no longer waited. He raised the old mining pick. Instead of smashing blindly like Wang Tiechui, he recalled the rock texture he had just observed, chose a seemingly inconspicuous crevice, mobilized his entire body's muscles for coordinated effort, mimicked the essence of Wang Tiechui's striking technique, and struck the rock wall!
"Clink!"
The sound was far less resonant than Wang Tiechui's. The recoil made his arm go numb, and the mining pick almost slipped from his grasp. Only a white mark was left on the rock wall.
Performed a mining operation, strength slightly increased. Proficiency in Basic Body Tempering Art +1.
Skill: Mining proficiency +1.
Ye Chen was not discouraged; instead, his eyes lit up. It was effective!
He no longer pursued brute force. Instead, he treated every swing of the pick as practice and refinement for the striking techniques of the Basic Body Tempering Art. He carefully felt the recoil's transmission through his body, constantly fine-tuning his posture, angle, and method of applying force.
Proficiency in Basic Body Tempering Art +1.
Proficiency in Mining +1.
Striking technique correction, power usage efficiency increased. Proficiency in Basic Body Tempering Art +2.
...
The system's prompts began to sound in his mind at a steady frequency. His movements, initially stiff and awkward, gradually became fluid and coordinated. Although each swing of the pick could only chip off a tiny amount of stone dust, far less efficient than Wang Tiechui, he could clearly feel his control over his body improving, his strength slowly growing with use, and even the dull ache in his Dantian seemed to be slightly soothed by this rhythmic vibration.
This feedback of "effort leads to visible progress" formed a powerful positive incentive, allowing him to become completely immersed, forgetting fatigue and time.
Wang Tiechui, who occasionally stopped to wipe his sweat, saw Ye Chen's extremely focused expression and his constant adjustments. A flicker of surprise and admiration crossed his eyes. He could tell that Ye Chen was exerting far less strength than him, but the concentration and persistent drive to improve were something he had never seen before.
"Ye... Ye Chen, you should rest for a bit. I'll dig," Wang Tiechui said in a deep, rumbling voice.
Ye Chen stopped, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and smiled. "No need, Tiechui. I think this is good."
He pointed to the shallow pit he had dug. "Look, it's a bit deeper than when I started."
Wang Tiechui leaned in to look and nodded with a simple grin. "Yeah! It is deeper! You're amazing!"
Ye Chen smiled, said nothing, and continued to immerse himself in his "diligent" practice.
After an unknown amount of time, Ye Chen felt that his application of striking techniques had reached a bottleneck for his current physical condition. The proficiency gains for Basic Body Tempering Art and Mining also began to slow down. He stopped, preparing to rest for a moment.
Just then, the Ascension Token, which had been lying quietly in his embrace, emitted another extremely faint warmth!
This time, the sensation was clearer than when it had catalyzed the Miasma Mushroom, and it carried a distinct directionality. The heat seemed to point towards the depths of the tunnel, to that unmined, darker corner.
Ye Chen's heart stirred. Was this Ascension Token sensing something?
He stood up calmly and said to Wang Tiechui, "Tiechui, I'm going to check over there."
"Huh? That's a dead end, no ore. We've already checked," Wang Tiechui reminded him.
"It's fine, I'll just take a look." Ye Chen, holding the broken mining pick, walked cautiously towards the depths of the tunnel, guided by the faint light of the fluorescent moss on the rock walls.
The deeper he went, the more pronounced the warmth from the Ascension Token became. He reached the end, facing a rock wall that looked no different from any other part. However, the Ascension Token's guidance clearly pointed to the lower section of this rock wall.
Ye Chen squatted down and carefully used his mining pick to tap and dig at the loose stones and soil in the corner.
After digging about a foot deep, the tip of the mining pick suddenly struck something hard, neither stone nor iron.
His heart leaped. He put down the mining pick and brushed away the loose dirt with his hands.
What met his eyes was a fist-sized ore, completely black, but with naturally formed silver spots on its surface, resembling stars. The ore felt cold and heavy in his hand, but as he held it, the Ascension Token in his embrace trembled slightly, as if a resonance had been established between them.
At the same time, the system panel automatically popped up:
Discovered unknown ore, containing strange Star Power and Spatial Fluctuation, resonating with the 'Ascension Token'.
Mineral Identification proficiency +20! Skill level increased: Novice 21/100.
Star Power? Spatial Fluctuation?
Although Ye Chen didn't yet know the specific use of this ore, its ability to resonate with the Ascension Token meant it was no ordinary item! Without hesitation, he tucked the strange ore into his embrace, wrapped it carefully in a piece of cloth, and hid it in the most intimate position.
Just as he finished hiding the ore and was about to return—
"Yo, hiding here slacking off, you two little good-for-nothings?"
A sarcastic voice came from the tunnel entrance.
Ye Chen and Wang Tiechui's expressions changed simultaneously, and they turned to look.
Overseer Zhao Hu, accompanied by two fawning followers, blocked their only exit. Zhao Hu's gaze, like a venomous snake, swept over the several large pieces of Black Iron Ore beside Wang Tiechui, finally settling on Ye Chen, particularly the corner he had just dug and not yet fully concealed.
"Looks like you found something good? Don't want to hand it in?" Zhao Hu walked over with a forced smile, lightly slapping his palm with the leather whip, producing a heart-pounding "crack" in the silent tunnel.
Danger, once again, descended.